The group meetings, headed by Miss Ratched, are where the Acutes share with eachother any little gripe, any grievance, anything they want changed should be brought up before the group and discussed, or else that anger will build up inside and they will never be healed. It's been thought that if men learned how to get along in a group, he'll be able to function properly in society. The group's purpose is to help show him where he's out of place; how society is what decides who's sane and who isn't, so you got to measure up.
At the meeting, Harding becomes the patient chosen to share his past and talk about it. Instead of the discussion being open and helpful, poor Harding is being accused of not only being gay, but he is blasted by the others because he could not please his attractive wife. McMurphy brings this up to Harding and tells him that these group meetings are nothing but a "pecking party". If one chicken in a whole flock has a wound, the others will attack the wounded one and all the chickens could wipe out one another. He points out that Miss Ratched is the chicken who pecks first and Harding is merely just the wounded chicken. Harding completely disregards what McMurphy is saying, and says that the group meetings are therapeutic and that Miss Ratched is not a monster, but a sweet-loving nurse who only wants what is best for the patients. However, McMurphy does not believe for one second that the nurse is caring. Rather, she is the ball-cutter of men; emasculating them of any manhood they once had, and leaving only a patch of hair behind where the balls used to be.
"The hell with that; she's a bitch and a buzzard and a ball-cutter, and don't kid me, you know what I'm talking about." (Kesey 58)
Harding then continues on to telling the other patients that Miss Ratched is a "veritable angel of mercy" and that everyone knows it. That she is unselfish woman who helps the unforunate by doing generous volunteer work. When Harding is finished telling a story about Ratched's unyielding kindness, he looks around and sees that everybody's watching him. He does his best not to laugh and moves around uncomfortably, making small noises under his breath until he finally whispers out through his teeth, "Oh the bitch, the bitch, the bitch." (Kesey 59)
Do you think McMurphy can help Harding?
Is Nurse Ratched really the ball-cutter of men?
